Revenue Growth
Total revenue grew 6.2% year-over-year to $174.7M in Q1 2026; on a comparable basis excluding the graduate school USA divestiture from 2025, revenue growth was 8.7%.
Strong Profitability and Margin Expansion
Adjusted EBITDA was $29.2M, up 37.5% year-over-year; adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 16.7% from 12.9% (381 basis points of expansion).
Net Income and EPS Gains
Net income available to common stockholders was $17.7M (up 137.6%); diluted EPS was $0.94 (up 129.3%) versus the prior year, benefiting from operational leverage and a one-time favorable tax deduction effect.
Health Plus Performance
Health Plus revenue grew 11% year-over-year to $85.4M; enrollment rose ~8% and income from operations turned positive to $0.5M from a $0.8M loss prior year; campus expansion progress with Orlando enrolling and Detroit campus planned for Q1 2027.
Military Plus Performance and Efficiency
Military Plus revenue grew 6.5% to $89.4M; net course registrations ~106,600 versus 102,500 (≈3.9% increase); segment delivered approximately a 36% adjusted EBITDA margin for the quarter reflecting prior cost-discipline work.
Balance Sheet Strength and Liquidity
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash increased 25% quarter-over-quarter to $221M; total debt was reduced to $90M from $96.4M; excess cash over debt rose to $131M from $80.1M at year-end 2025; debt refinancing lowered borrowing rate by ~375 bps.
Capital Allocation Actions
Board authorized a $50M share repurchase program; first-quarter repurchases totaled ~17,840 shares for ~$1M; company resumed opportunistic capital returns while preserving flexibility for growth and M&A.
Raised Full-Year Guidance
Company raised full-year 2026 guidance: revenue to $686M–$696M, adjusted EBITDA to $93M–$102M, net income to $44.9M–$51.6M and diluted EPS to $2.33–$2.68, reflecting confidence in trajectory after Q1 results.
Regulatory Approval Milestone for Institutional Combination
Higher Learning Commission approved consolidation of programs/locations into a single accredited 'American Public University System'; Department of Education approval and APEI demerger remain as the final step, targeted for early Q3 2026.
Operational Cash Flow
Management highlighted strong operating cash flow (analyst noted ~$63M cash flow from operations in the quarter), supporting investment, share repurchases and M&A optionality.